


blushing cheeks and star-speckled skies

by Anonymous



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: 12 Princes February Fest, Alternate Universe - High School, Astronomy, Constellations, Drama, Eventual Romance, High School, M/M, Mythology References, Romance, Stars, Teen Romance, based in seoul national uni but theyre in highschool IT WILL MAKE SENSE SOONER OR LATER
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-24 22:52:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13821153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: younghoon was in love with the night sky, the stars, and everything in between.and changmin’s eyes seemed to hold the entire galaxy in them.(tbz february fest fic!)





	blushing cheeks and star-speckled skies

**Author's Note:**

> i'd like to thank so many people for making this a real thing, as i've never actually completed a fest fic before the deadline before.
> 
> thank you so, so much to my proofreader and amazing friend, [nova](https://twitter.com/WEKIMEKIOUTSOLD)!  
> to my #1 fan and supporter, [maya](https://twitter.com/yeojvn)!  
> and finally, the one who made this all happen [nina](https://twitter.com/yutuniverse)
> 
> and to you, the reader!

**i.**

Younghoon awoke with a startled gasp, slamming his fist down onto his alarm clock that seemed a little bit louder than it normally was. Taking the time to recollect himself, he felt around his bedside table until he could feel the outline of his phone, quickly grabbing it to check the time. Of course, it was 4 AM. Thinking of his past actions, he remembered the events that had led him to set his alarm clock to ring at such an early time. He had learned about stars that day, his teacher sweetly explaining to the class of primary school children how they worked, and why people could see stars at night. Intent on learning more than what the teacher had explained, Younghoon had visited the school’s library and borrowed a few books that were a bit too heavy for him to carry on his own.

Thankfully, his bedroom was in the attic of his family’s small Chuncheon farmhouse, so it would be easy to open the large window near his closet and sneak out with the books to the roof.

Looking, Younghoon stumbled across the bedroom floor to where the stack of books sat, grabbing the top two on the stack that was labeled _The Guide to the Night Sky_ and _The Book of Constellations._ The books were quite large and a bit bulky, Younghoon’s arms barely holding them in place. Toying with the window, he managed to pry it open, shoving the books onto the roof and hauling himself up next to them. The cool spring air tousled his hair, a smile spreading wide across his face. This was truly an adventure.

The stars were visible in the darkness of the night, especially as the light pollution in the area was not as severe as the tourist traps that were constantly wasting energy. Spreading open the pages, Younghoon managed to pinpoint his approximate location on the map and what stars would probably be seen in his area. Looking up at the sky, he could match up a few.

The first was Gemini. Beautiful Gemini. He had remembered the name from a previous conversation with his foreign classmate Jacob who had flawlessly spelled out the name in English. Apparently, Jacob was a “Gemini”, whatever that meant. Gemini seemed to be two twins, their names also spelled in English on the book. Castor and Pollux? What did that even mean? Whatever. Younghoon was still fascinated by the idea of the cluster of stars being seen as two people. Younghoon could almost imagine the U-shaped constellation as two people himself if he squinted hard enough.

The next was Monoceros and Canis Minor. Younghoon quietly giggled to himself as he stared at the picture displayed on the book. The constellation showed an image of a small dog on top of a unicorn’s back, delightfully barking. It was cute, he had to admit.

Next to the pair was the brightest star of all, which linked up to the constellation Orion. Finally, a constellation which Younghoon didn’t have to squint to see. Reading the passage of Korean next to the book’s image, it explained the mythology behind the Ancient Greek hunter. Younghoon decided that he liked that constellation the most, as it was by far the prettiest and easiest to see. He enjoyed the mythology too, but for now, visuals were what seemed to matter.

Feeling a sudden gust of cold wind, Younghoon quickly shut the books. After taking a final glance at the sky, he headed back into his room.

After setting down his books near his bed, Younghoon fell back onto it and into a deep sleep.

**ii.**

It was exactly 183 days since Younghoon had arrived in Seoul. He could still remember his mother’s somber smile when he turned his head to wave goodbye as he boarded the bus that would take him all the way to the city. These emotions, of course, were natural. After all, he had been raised in the country, lived in the country, and had spent all of his life in that small town. It was time to move on. His curiosity was just something that would never be satisfied with where he lived. Most of his friends had also decided to move out to other areas near the city too to finish their high school career, so it wouldn’t be only him.

Younghoon was meticulous about keeping track of time. If he didn’t, then he wouldn’t be able to keep track of the stars. The two items that were always kept in the bottom of his suitcase- the most precious items that he owned, were the two books he had stolen from the school library.

There were only four and a half days left until Younghoon’s internship at Seoul National University started. Technically, it was more of a camp, but that sounded less professional. His mother had called him ‘silly’ when he had explained his reasoning to her.

Younghoon took a sip from the cup of iced coffee that he had ordered a few minutes previous to the current moment. From his seat on the outside of the café, he could spot his exact room in the apartment building. On the balcony were a few potted plants that Younghoon had hastily taken with him after leaving Gangwon. Next to the pots was a small hanging chair. As Younghoon continued to take more small sips of the drink, he noticed out of the corner of his eyes small movements coming from the balcony next to his room’s.

Younghoon shifted his attention to the room next to his, a young boy who looked to be about the same age as himself closing the door to the balcony behind him, a watering can in his left hand. Tons of plants littered the balcony, Younghoon’s single Bonsai tree paling in comparison to the number of fruits that hung off the small trees in pots on the balcony floor. Younghoon swore he had seen the boy a few days before when he exited his apartment, but he didn’t take note of the small details. So, were they neighbours? He would probably have to find out himself.

Younghoon lost track of time, not realising that he had almost spent a full five minutes just looking at the boy on the balcony. Before he knew it, the cup of iced coffee was spilled all over his white shirt, the cold feeling of ice on his skin immediately making him wince. As a natural reflex, Younghoon suddenly stood up, pushing his chair behind him with a screeching sound.

“Fucking shit-” Younghoon cursed out loud, attracting the disapproving frown of a mother as she walked by with her child. A waitress rushed to clean up the mess and Younghoon thanked her, the woman flashing him a small smile in response. Looking up, Younghoon was embarrassed to see that the boy was now staring back at him, the watering can now out of his hands and placed on the ground. A faint hint of red and pink crept up the boy’s neck and onto his ears and cheeks before he left, slamming the balcony door behind him. Younghoon groaned. He was truly a mess.

**iii.**

The old alarm clock that had been with him since he was a small child rang like it always had, Younghoon’s ears never quite getting used to shrill chiming. Younghoon had just fallen asleep as he was far too excited to get any rest and was annoyed that he would have to get up so quickly. Oh well, it was technically his fault anyways.

Groaning loudly, Younghoon arose with difficulty, swinging his legs over his bed and falling straight to the ground. Rolling his eyes at the ceiling, he got up, determined to at least make it towards the restroom.

With a record of 3 minutes and 21.3 seconds, Younghoon somehow managed to both brush his teeth and get his hair down so it seemed somewhat presentable enough. Constantly checking the clock like some sort of madman, he decided there wasn’t much value in eating breakfast. Shrugging to himself, Younghoon got his bag ready and headed towards the door.

As his hand hovered above the doorknob, there seemed to be something that was bothering him. Was it fear that was influencing his decision, making it so that Younghoon didn’t really want to leave anymore? Was it the fear that he would see his neighbour’s face again and be reminded of his acts from the day before?

Not thinking about it too much, Younghoon pushed open the front door and found himself in an empty hallway, sunlight pouring out of the window at the very end of the hall. It seemed that he had overcome the small fear of eternal embarrassment and was now ready to leave. As Younghoon looked out from behind the closing elevator door, he heard keys jingling. There stood his neighbour, his lips forming words that Younghoon could barely make out.

 “Wait! Please keep the door open, there’s only one elevator on this floor-” It was too late. By the time Younghoon figured out what the boy had tried to say, the door was already closed.

Younghoon decided that it would be quite unprofessional if he broke down in the elevator. Trying to regain his composure, he told himself that it wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t hear the boy clearly. After all, there was some construction going on outside the apartment. The noise was too loud to hear over and the boy should’ve known that.

As if nothing had happened, Younghoon stepped out the elevator door, his backpack slung over his right shoulder in attempts to look decently admirable. In middle school, he had received numerous compliments from teenage girls about his visuals. He decided that it would be nice to use this skill instead of wasting it. Despite his absentminded nature, it really did seem like he cared about his appearance.

Walking down the busy streets of Gwanak, Younghoon noticed there weren’t as many college students that could normally be found roaming around as it was now summer. The place was a pure example of what his mother had told him the city would be like once he moved there. Dirty, dreary, and absolutely intolerable. Younghoon loved it, nevertheless, and cherished it like he had always lived there. Perhaps it was the idea of actually getting to work with a _real_ telescope that fascinated him and made him love the place even more than he normally would have.

Arriving at the university’s campus, the desk in front of the Physics and Astronomy Department building could be seen from miles away, a huge banner in front of the table reading, ‘SIGN IN’. Other students presumably there for the same program were scattered around the area, talking in groups with each other. As Younghoon walked up to the table, a few stopped their conversations to glance at him. This truly was the wonders of being handsome, wasn’t it?

“Hello! Are you here for signups?” One of the volunteers at the desk chirped, giving Younghoon a friendly grin. Younghoon smiled back and nodded his head. “Great! May I have your name, grade, and the exact camp you signed up to be in?”

“Ah, sure. I’m Kim Younghoon, third year. I’m here for the Astronomy program?” Just as Younghoon uttered the last few words, a pair of hands slammed down on the table next to him.

Heavy breathing could be heard as Younghoon turned to see who had made such a ruckus.

“Am… Am I- Am I late?” It was the boy from the coffee shop incident- it was his neighbour. “I ran all the way here, I swear to God- I’m late, aren’t I?”

A flustered volunteer shook her head. “Oh, no! You just made it! Why don’t you tell me which camp you signed up for?”

Younghoon almost screamed. It didn’t seem that the boy was quite listening to the volunteer, his stare mainly fixated on Younghoon’s face. A single glare was shot in his direction before he turned back to the volunteer and sweetly replied with his name and camp. So, he was going to the Chemistry camp? It made sense, in a way.

“Thank you so much!” The boy (who he had now learned was named Ji Changmin) breathed out, giving the volunteer a deep bow of gratitude. Younghoon stood there, emotionless and shocked. It took him a few moments before he heard a voice calling out his name.

“Kim Younghoon? Are you alright? Here are your nametag and map, you really should be going now.” Startled, Younghoon shook his head.

“I’m quite sorry. Thank you very much.” He muttered before taking his things and leaving to the destination marked on his map.

**iv.**

The camp was everything Younghoon had dreamed about as a child. With the campus’ 61 cm reflector telescope, 6m millimeter-wave radio telescope, and PDS microdensitometer… Younghoon could drone on about it all day. The campus also had an observatory which would be used in the last few days at camp. He was pleased with the arrangement, if not that, ecstatic. Younghoon had been so grateful when his mother had bought him a cheap telescope from the local toy store for his tenth birthday, he never would have imagined that he’d have the opportunity to work in a place with such advanced technology.

 The students had all been assigned different partners corresponding to the person they were placed next to according to the randomized seating charts. The man that Younghoon had been selected to partner with was a cheerful college student who seemed happy to be paired with him. Younghoon had learned that the man’s name was Lee Sangyeon, an unusual but pretty name nonetheless. They had conversed lightly about the university (Sangyeon was initially majoring in Theatre, but had switched his major to Astrophysics), but quickly switched to the topic of Seoul.

“Ah, so you just moved here? At least you got used to the city life quickly. If I were you I’d feel homesick every day.” Sangyeon sighed, fiddling with the mechanical pencil stuck between his fingers. “So, I’m guessing you know no one here too. If you want, I can show you around during break time and sit with you? Just a thought.” He shrugged, slamming the pencil onto the desk after having spun it out of control. He gave Younghoon a warm grin, the corners of his eyes scrunching up that reminded Younghoon of his father.

“Yeah, that’d be nice. Thanks.” Younghoon replied. “Honestly, I’ve heard my friends talk about Seoul so many times that I don’t think I was that surprised when I arrived here. Getting used to all the cars took the most time. I swear I almost died fifteen times in the first week.”

Sangyeon chuckled and turned his attention to the paper that was suddenly placed in front of him.

**v.**

It seemed that everyone at the camp knew one another. In Younghoon’s case, he was sitting alone at a small table near the end of the cafeteria, quietly jotting down notes and eating the leftover takeout he had ordered from the day before. It seemed that Sangyeon had forgotten about his promise, or more or less couldn’t find where Younghoon was with the copious amount of people. They probably should’ve exchanged phone numbers first, but it was too late for that.

Younghoon checked his phone every five seconds, his old school friends’ group chat blowing up with messages of summer experiences. The last message that Younghoon read before turning his phone off was from Haknyeon, consisting of a retort back to Sunwoo along with a plethora of ironically-used emoticons. Laughing quietly to himself, he continued to add more notes the paper before him.

Only seconds after he had turned off his phone, a light tap on Younghoon’s shoulder surprised him, dropping his pencil in the process. Quickly turning around, he found himself face to face with the person he dreaded seeing the most.

 “May I sit here? I don’t really know anyone here except you… But I don’t even think we’ve talked before.” Changmin muttered, blushing as he pointed to the seat across from Younghoon. “Sorry if I embarrassed you or anything this morning. I didn’t mean to!” He mumbled, turning on one foot to leave.

As Younghoon finally comprehended what was going on, he finally exclaimed, “Yeah! Yeah. You can sit here, of course. I’m sorry if I was a little standoff-ish at first, that’s all my fault.” Taking a deep breath, he continued. “I’m Kim Younghoon.”

Changmin laughed. “I know, I heard this morning while running to the sign in desk. I’m Ji Changmin, but I guess you already know that.” Changmin set his lunch tray down across from Younghoon, taking the seat. As Younghoon awkwardly tried to return back to his notes, Changmin peered over him to take a look at the words he was writing.

“Ah, astronomy. I hated that subject in school. It was my worse. Probably stems off of my irrational fear of space, though.” He sighed, letting his left cheek rest on his hand. “But the topic was **so** boring. I don’t know how people can memorize all these…” Changmin waved his hand in the air sporadically before uncomfortably dropping it to his side. “…constellations.”

Younghoon gave Changmin a sideways glance. “Oh, really? My school didn’t even have astronomy. I think I would’ve loved the class though.” He took a small bite of his food. “I won’t dwell deeper into astronomy, so don’t worry too much. But please, enlighten me on _Chemistry_ , or whatever that is.”

Immediately, Changmin’s face lit up, Younghoon’s comment seeming to peak his interest. Younghoon, finding this a bit endearing, tried to control himself from laughing out loud.

By the time Changmin was done explaining the numerous amino acid residues of the Green Fluorescent Protein, the one-hour long lunch-break that had been given to the students was well up. Both of them hadn’t noticed that time had gone by so quickly (or in Younghoon’s case, so uninterestingly), even after most of the other students had left the premise. Finally glancing up at the clock, Younghoon realised the time. Taking a pen from his pocket and ripping a corner of a napkin off, he jotted down his number and slipped it into Changmin’s hand.

“Sorry, we didn’t get to formally introduce ourselves. Let’s try to redo this again later, shall we?” He asked, a smile appearing across his face before he took his bags and left.

**vi.**

For the rest of the time, Younghoon didn’t see Changmin again. Even when returning back to his apartment, it seemed that no one was on the same path as he had walked. It didn’t matter though, as he didn’t really expect Changmin to be waiting or for him to walk with Changmin. It was a small, trivial thing.

A buzz from his phone made Younghoon quickly take it out from his pocket, a bit disappointed to see a text from his mother followed along with 50 texts from the group chat and an apology from Sangyeon. He first opened his mother’s text, replying to her worried questions about how the day had gone with reassuring answers. He knew how to please her by saying all the right things. Next, he silenced the group chat (something that should’ve been done long before), and finally clicked on Sangyeon’s message.

 

 

[ **from** : Sangyeon]

[ **17:03:21** ]

_AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM SO SORRY I DIDN’T SIT WITH YOU TODAY THERE WAS THIS EMERGENCY THING HAPPENING IN THE PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT AND EVERYONE WAS FREAKING OUT AND I HAD TO GO HELP MY SISTER IT WAS SUPER WEIRD BUT IM REALLY SORRY AND NOW I FEEL BAD AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SORRY SORRY SORRY_

Younghoon blinked. While talking to Changmin, he had totally forgotten that he had agreed to meet with Sangyeon during their break. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he typed a quick “It’s fine”, hoping it didn’t come off as too hostile. Before he could put the phone back in his pocket, another buzz rang out. Groaning, Younghoon turned the phone back on to see what useless notification he had received that time.

The text was from Changmin.

**vii.**

Younghoon knocked on Changmin’s door as if it was the most painful thing he had to do in his whole life. Changmin had invited him via text to have dinner with him because they were neighbours or whatever reason the boy had given. A proper introduction was what Younghoon had promised, but Changmin had fulfilled. Besides, Changmin said the dinner was long overdue, as his mother had always taught him to treat new people with courtesy and should’ve at least welcomed Younghoon when he first moved in.

When Changmin opened the door, he seemed to be wearing a different outfit than what he had worn that morning. Younghoon was still wearing the same ripped jeans and leather jacket he had worn to the camp. Feeling a bit embarrassed that Changmin looked like he had dressed a bit more nicely for the occasion, Younghoon rubbed the back of his neck. Sensing this discomfort in the atmosphere, Changmin immediately began to apologize profusely.

“I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable or anything, I really shouldn’t have overdressed- Oh my, I’m so, so sorry. I just-”

“It’s fine.” Younghoon smiled. “I guess this really isn’t a formal introduction after all, is it?”

It took a few seconds for Changmin to get what Younghoon was saying, but as soon as he realised, he began to laugh. “I guess so. Here, come on in. Sorry about all the plants, by the way. I have a lot and I didn’t have enough room on the balcony so I had to store a few inside here.” And he was right. Plants littered the floor, most of them in pots, some of them pulled out and placed on plastic bags on the floor. Younghoon was never one for gardening but had picked up a few skills from his parents.

Younghoon shrugged, trying his best not to step on any of the bags.

**viii.**

Younghoon didn’t know how he ended up in this position. It was a cliché thing to think about it, as all he really wanted to do was help Changmin with cleaning up the dishes. The dinner was nice, and Changmin had cooked it himself so it was quite sincere of him to do so. They had talked about things like the beauty of Seoul and what Younghoon’s hometown was like.

Thinking about it, Changmin’s kitchen was smaller than Younghoon’s. Perhaps that was why when Younghoon went to place the dishes in the sink behind Changmin, his hand had slipped, causing him to drop the plates onto the ground with a loud crash. He instinctively grabbed onto Changmin’s hand and pulled him close to his own body so as not to let the plates hurt Changmin. It was awkward, and as the sound of broken pieces of ceramics being smashed stopped, Younghoon found himself still holding tightly onto Changmin’s hand. Younghoon didn’t know what made him do it, maybe it was because of a hidden hero complex.

Younghoon had never been this close to another person other than his mother. Suddenly nervous for no reason, Younghoon began to stutter.

“I’m so sorry-” He began to say but was soon cut off by Changmin planting a small kiss onto his lips. 

Younghoon’s look of worry and sadness changed to confusion, a small sensation still present on his lips. At seeing his reaction and realizing what he had done, Changmin immediately snatched his hand away from Younghoon’s and backed up, walking right into a few small, broken pieces of ceramic.

“Ah, fuck!” Changmin cursed, one of the pieces puncturing his foot, blood seeping through his sock.

“Oh my God- are you alright? Fuck-” Younghoon worriedly shouted, guiding Changmin onto a chair. Changmin incoherently muttered a small “yes”, all while motioning for Younghoon to leave.

“I’m fine, just leave.” Changmin finally managed to get out, the table next to him holding a few of the pieces. Overwhelmed and unable to say anything more, Younghoon complied, murmuring his apologies as he left the room.

**ix.**

Younghoon didn’t see Changmin at the camp for the next few days, nor did he see him when exiting his apartment. In the worst-case scenario, Changmin had bled to death in his apartment, his lifeless body still on that chair with Younghoon’s DNA all over it so that when the cops came, they knew exactly who to arrest. But of course, Changmin was too smart to let himself die over a few pieces of ceramics from a broken plate. Younghoon had ordered a vase of flowers to be delivered to Changmin’s door as an apology and even slipped an envelope with money to compensate for the broken plate. Since they were both gone in a few hours, Younghoon assumed that Changmin was not dead after all.

Younghoon’s mind had then been filled with thoughts about the camp, more specifically thoughts on what he would do for his final project. All students in the camp had to complete a final research project and present it to the rest of the students, as it was customary. but Younghoon had declined. He worked best by himself, anyways.

That morning, a group of students from the Agriculture and Life Sciences department had come over to the Astronomy department in need of some human test subjects.

“We’ve asked around the other STEM departments but we only got one volunteer. We need one more, so someone please volunteer.” One of the students pleaded, obviously tired of asking everyone for such a simple task. The most probable reason as to why no one had volunteered was because time would be taken away from working on their final projects and. Seeing how no one raised their hand, Younghoon sighed and offered up his.

The students’ eyes lit up, delightfully exclaiming a huge thanks to Younghoon as they handed him a piece of paper with a space to sign his name at the bottom. Half-heartedly, Younghoon signed it, not really bothering to read the terms and conditions.

“Thank you so much! We’ll meet you near the sign-in desks in a few minutes, okay? We’ll go over in more detail of what we need you to do, and then you can follow us to our lab.” One of them explained, leaving the room as others trailed behind them.

Once the commotion had died down and everyone had resumed their own work, Sangyeon slid next to Younghoon on one of the rolling chairs, obviously concerned.

“Hey, Younghoon, are you sure about this? Knowing the Life Science kids, they’re probably going to hook you up to some weird plant machine or something. Just saying, you might want to back out of it before it’s too late. Besides, we really need to work on this project.” He gestured towards Younghoon’s stack of papers and textbooks.

“I’m fine, I’ll just work on it at home or in the library or something. Don’t worry about me.” Younghoon began to pack up his things, intent on meeting the students near the sign-in area. “Besides, don’t you have your own project to worry about too?” Younghoon let out a laugh, grinning as Sangyeon also smiled.

Walking down the stairs and arriving at the designated place, Younghoon was led across the campus to the Life Sciences department, where he was directed into a classroom that seemed to be split into a laboratory and small school classroom.

Upon entering the room, Younghoon was met by a pair of safety glasses being handed to him and a mouthful of words. Younghoon couldn’t focus on what the person in front of him was saying though, as his mind was centered on only one thing- Changmin. The boy stood in the corner of the room, slowly talking to another classmate and hadn’t really seemed to notice Younghoon’s entry. Younghoon breathed a small sigh of relief, suddenly realizing that the students that had led him to the room were gone. Younghoon looked up at the clock that hung above the door. The bell that signified the start of lunchtime would ring in a few seconds.

And so it did, as people began to file out of the door as the shrill ring of the bell sounded throughout the classroom. When everyone had left, the only people that were still in the classroom were Younghoon and Changmin. Younghoon had hoped that Changmin would also leave the class to get lunch (Younghoon had brought his), but it seemed that this would not be the case. Now, with both of them standing in opposite corners of the room, it was impossible for them to not notice each other in the midst of the silence that spread around the room.

Taking a small breath, Younghoon walked across the room where Changmin was standing over a few glass test tubes, his safety glasses still strapped across his face. As Changmin’s back was turned to face him, Younghoon lightly tapped on Changmin’s shoulder, a sudden gasp escaping his lips as he turned around, almost spilling the beaker of a slight purple-ish liquid in his hands.

“What do you want?” Changmin said a little too quickly, trying to regain his composure.

Younghoon was surprised. “I-I… I just wanted to say I’m really sorry. For everything. And are you alright? Is your foot any better? Did you have to go to the hospital?”

“I’m fine,” Changmin murmured, placing the beaker on the table next to him with a small clink. “I didn’t need to go the hospital, it was only small pieces that didn’t really puncture the skin. Besides, you don’t have to apologize; it was my fault.”

But the words that came out of Changmin’s mouth seemed to be artificial and not as if he truly meant it, so Younghoon decided to pry further. Perhaps this was not the best decision in that situation, but his mind was racing back and forth between the different outcomes of certain decisions to be made.

“No, please. It was all my fault, I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. Let me make it up to you in some way, or we can just forget that those events ever happened. I’m just so…” Younghoon began to plead, though he wasn’t sure why he had chosen to. Yes, they were his true feelings, but at such a time where their relationship was just beginning with each other, did it really make sense to be so open like this?

“Please, stop.” Changmin let out, his gaze suddenly centered on the ceiling. “I really don’t want your pity. It was stupid to even assume or do such an act and it was all my fault so I sincerely apologize-” Before Changmin had a chance to complete his thought, Younghoon had bent down to capture his lips. 

This time, the kiss didn’t last for a mere few seconds. This time, pull away. Slightly panting and embarrassed, Younghoon covered his mouth with the back of his palm.

“Ah.” That was the only sound that Changmin could utter, eyes fixated on the floor. After a long pause, Younghoon broke the silence.

“So, are we okay now?”

**x.**

It seemed that the two’s relationship had finally been mended, as they now no longer avoided each other in the halls or looked away at any mention of the other’s name. In fact, Changmin and Younghoon had become insufferably close within the next few weeks that rumours had now begun to circulate throughout the camps. They didn’t mind though.

Younghoon had finished his volunteer work for the Life Sciences students a long time ago, the experiment not really requiring much work from him at all (which brought up the question of _why_ he was even asked in the first place). Despite this, Younghoon regularly visited the classrooms where Changmin worked at, forgetting about the final project that was to be due in the following week.

“Hey, Younghoon. I haven’t seen you in a while, are you alright? Everyone is finishing up on their projects and turning them in so I just wanted to remind you.” Sangyeon had commented one fateful day where Younghoon had actually come to class instead of heading straight towards Changmin’s class.

“Oh yeah, that? It’s fine, I’ve got it all under control.” Younghoon did not have it all under control. The farthest he had gotten with his project was the thesis, which was only the beginning of the long paper that he would have to type out that explained his experiment and conclusion. Trying his best to look confident, he waved his hand a bit at Sangyeon, dismissing him.

When it was time to go, Younghoon met Changmin at the entrance to the school as students and teachers alike began to leave. A few glances were met when Changmin cheerfully began to talk to Younghoon, both of them crossing the street to get to the bus stop (which they conveniently figured out went to the mall outside their apartment a few weeks before).

“Wow. I can’t believe next week will be our last week. To think that camp is ending so soon… I’m surprised I could even finish my final project!” Changmin laughed, the noise of the bus stopping muffling his chuckles. Younghoon beamed, but in his mind, he was panicking. How the hell did Changmin finish his final project while he couldn’t?

Boarding the bus with a handful of other classmates, Changmin and Younghoon took the seats closest to the entrance. While Changmin would usually read a book and Younghoon text his friends, this time the atmosphere seemed a bit different, causing them both to strike up another conversation.

“So, it’s almost the end of summer, right?” Changmin asked, it being more of a rhetorical question. Younghoon nodded, still scrolling through his phone. After a moments pause, Changmin continued. “Are you really going to go back to Chuncheon? I thought you’d stay here in Seoul for college. After all, you did get into SNU…” Hearing these words, Younghoon stopped texting, tensing up at the sensitive topic. The truth was, Younghoon hadn’t decided what he was going to do. He knew he would, of course, study Astronomy, but he felt obligated to return home. He loved Seoul now, but was that love greater than his love for his mother?

Seeing that Younghoon wouldn’t answer him, Changmin sighed. “If you do move back, that’s fine. We can text, anyways! During the summer, you can visit too. My parents pay for my apartment rent so I think I’ll be there for a while.” He tried to laugh this off, but there was an edge to his words. “It’s alright, really.”

Younghoon shook his head, shoving his phone back into his backpack’s side pocket. “Hey, can you meet me tonight on the roof of our apartment building? This sounds crazy, I know- but it’s our last full week together. Please?” Younghoon sighed out, placing his hands in his lap. “Meet me there at 10 PM.”

After a moment of consideration, Changmin gave a final nod before they both turned to their own tasks.

**xi.**

Changmin had never been to the top of the apartment building, as there was never a need to before today. He knew of a few people that kept plants on the roof as it was open to any residents to come and go, but besides that, no one else had a reason to venture there. Changmin wasn’t scared of heights, so that wasn’t a factor, but it just didn’t seem like it had any use to be up there.

Only a few steps up the stairs and Changmin was now on the roof. Looking around through the darkness, Changmin finally found Younghoon who gestured for him to come over. 

As they were both sitting down and Younghoon’s face was once again buried in his astronomy books, Changmin laughed. “So, why am I here again?”

Now it was Younghoon’s turn to blush. “I… I just wanted you to see the stars with me. I know it’s practically impossible to see them in Seoul, but I thought it would be worth the try. Besides, we’re not exactly in the center of Seoul, so hopefully, we can see a constellation or two.”

Finally taking his head out of his book, Younghoon looked up at the sky. Surprisingly, despite the massive amount of light pollution, a variety of stars could be seen. The moon was shining bright overhead, as it always did, a calming sense rushing over Younghoon. He needed it.

Squinting up at the sky, Younghoon gasped. Was that…? Of course, it was. But how? It was entirely impossible for the three stars to even appear in Korea, Seoul, at most.

“Is that… Is that the Summer Triangle?” Younghoon couldn’t believe his eyes. The imaginary triangle that had formed in the sky using the brightest stars of the constellations Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra were displayed in the pitch-black night, seeming to taunt Younghoon for his own disbelief.

Changmin, confused, interrupted Younghoon’s thoughts with a quiet ‘what’, also going to look up at the sky even though he couldn’t see anything particular.

“Changmin, it’s the Summer Triangle! I know you have no idea what I’m talking about right now, but oh my God, I can’t believe I’m actually seeing this right now. I’m not even sure if I’m right. I shouldn’t be able to see this. Wow.” Younghoon breathed out, not even stopping to take another breath. Frantically flipping through his book’s pages, he found the page with a map that showed the three stars. “I’m… I’m not wrong. Wow. I still can’t believe this.”

When another awkward pause followed, Younghoon decided that rather than explain the significance of the triangle, he should tell the background behind it instead.

“So, you see those three stars? The brighter ones- they form a triangle. That’s the Summer Triangle, which should be impossible to see right now. Those three stars are Altair, Deneb, and Vega. Actually, Altair and Vega are based on the story of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl. The Milky Way represents the separation of them across the Silver River. Each year on the 7th day of the 7th month they are reunited together by a flock of magpie birds. I think it’s quite beautiful. Together, along with Deneb, they create the Summer Triangle.”

Throughout the entire explanation, Changmin seemed to be stressed. Of course, he enjoyed listening to Younghoon gush on and on about the stars; it was endearing. It was just that he had something on his mind that he couldn’t shake off. It was unnatural for him to be so worried, but nevertheless, he was.

“Younghoon, I love it when you talk about the stars and all, but can I ask you something? I don’t know why I’m saying this or how I ever came to _think_ about saying this, but I need to get it out. Will you please stay in Seoul?” Why was Changmin even saying this? It wasn’t like him to be so blunt. Younghoon had a family, Changmin wasn’t the only important person in his life.

There was another long pause between these words, Younghoon’s talk about the stars petering out as the summer wind blew hair across their faces. The quiet hum of the city that never slept and cars driving below echoed into the air, disintegrating as quickly as it had been created.

“I can’t promise you that, Changmin. But God, I want to. I want to stay here. I admire Seoul and I applaud you for living and growing up here. I don’t know what my family’s decision will be, but I will try my best. I swear.”

At this point, Changmin couldn’t take it anymore. Leaning in, he shared another kiss with Younghoon, cupping his cheek with his right hand. Underneath the stars, it seemed like the moment went on forever. All time had stopped, and the only thing that existed right at that moment- the only thing that mattered, at the moment, was just Changmin and Younghoon. This was the eternal, youthful love that older generations had talked about, wasn’t it?

“You’re so beautiful,” Younghoon said, gasping for breath. Changmin giggled, feeling even hotter despite the cool breeze that passed by from time to time.

And with that, Changmin and Younghoon stayed on the rooftop for another few hours, only returning back once it was past midnight.

**xii.**

The last day of camp could only be described as one word: chaotic. The camp officials had not planned it to go this way, with everyone reeling to get their presentations done and leave so they could party the entire day instead of working. Younghoon hadn’t turned in his project yet, which worried Sangyeon but Younghoon couldn’t care less. A few hours before the final day, Sangyeon had texted Younghoon, reminding him to turn in his final project.

Younghoon had only shrugged, leaving Sangyeon with more questions than answers.

But now, there was no time for any more questions, as it was really the final day. As soon as people signed in, they headed towards the auditorium where the camp officials would give their opening speech. Of course, this was not what Changmin and Younghoon decided to do. Instead, as they signed in next to each other, they proceeded towards the classrooms that were barren and quiet. Maybe now they could finally get a sense of privacy in the midst of rumours and talk.

“Don’t you think they’ll get mad at us for skipping out on the ceremony and presentations? I feel a bit bad for ditching my teammate like that…” Changmin wondered, strolling down the hallway alongside Younghoon. “Then again, I don’t think Chanhee will mind. He’s pretty independent, after all.”

Just then, the sound of quickening footsteps and a loud screech echoed behind them.

“Ji Changmin and Kim Younghoon, where do you think you’re going?” One of the camp officials was behind them, closing in as they seemed to rush towards the two boys.

“Shit-” Younghoon muttered, latching onto Changmin’s hand and running down the hall. Younghoon didn’t know the counselor that well, but if they used Younghoon’s full name, then it must’ve been serious.

Turning the corner and running into another hallway, Younghoon spotted a semi-open door that seemed like it wasn’t being used for much. Taking his chances, he pulled both himself and Changmin into the door, shutting it behind him. Upon entering the room, it appeared that it was actually a doorway to a hallway that led to a bigger space. Walking down the hallway, Younghoon was surprised to see huge curtains covering half of the room.

“Ah, I think this is the old auditorium they used to use for when kids came here for field trips.” Changmin mused, prying around the room for any gadgets to fidget with. “Surprised the door was open, wouldn’t have thought they would leave it for anyone to walk in.” Walking further in, they were now on the darkened stage. Behind the curtains were a few small cutouts of the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Younghoon smiled as he looked at them, faint memories of his childhood coming back to him.

Changmin wondered around for a bit before returning back to where Younghoon was now fidgeting with the cutouts. They seemed to be machine automated, some sort of switch allowing them to orbit around each other. In the darkness, Changmin felt for Younghoon’s hand and took it in his. Sighing, Younghoon leaned in to give Changmin a simple kiss on the forehead before the stage lights to the auditorium turned on and the curtains gave away. Suddenly, the silhouettes of both the cutouts and their bodies could be seen from the front of the auditorium.

Changmin and Younghoon were surprised, as the loud booming of a narrator’s voice was broadcasted throughout the entire auditorium. Upon seeing the malfunction of the demonstration, laughs and giggles from children could be heard from over the screen that divided the two parties. Changmin, knowing the background of the school, assumed that the auditorium was still being used for educational purposes after all. Whispering this to Younghoon over the hushes of confused teachers and cackling students, Changmin grinned.

Instead of leaving, they both laughed, Younghoon throwing his arms around Changmin’s neck and taking in one final kiss from Changmin. In the bright light that shone across their bodies, it seemed that Younghoon could’ve stayed like that forever.

 

**FIN**

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: WHY ARE HALF THE WORDS MISSING WHAT THE FUCK
> 
> my notes for this fic is wild,,,, ask nova lmao
> 
> DISCLAIMER: yes lots of the things in here would never happen irl like for example, Changmin would never talk to Younghoon because we are all anti-social teens and you would never EVER be able to see the summer triangle from Seoul it’s just physically and astrologically impossible. BUT HEY plot points gotta be made so too bad.
> 
> hey hit me up on [twitter](https://twitter.com/zhunyeon)


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